Hers
by gastlyhauntergengar
Summary: He'd never said it in so many words, and neither had she—"I love you"—but that's what it'd always meant, hadn't it?


**A/N: **So I started and finished the entire SE manga about a month or two ago-a couple years later, but whatever lol. These were just some of my shipping feelings getting out of control and some moments that I imagined happening during manga Chapter 49. I feel like this ship and Tsubaki haven't gotten enough love in fics, so I wanted to add my two cents~ Btw I'm not sure of what their actual canon ages were at that point, so I just guessed.

* * *

It started when she saw him almost instantly connect with her father, upon bringing him home to Japan.

Or well, it started before that, but not in ways that Tsubaki was ever able to admit to herself.

In some ways, the age difference between she and Black Star was always evident to her. Not only did her meister still not stand much higher than her shoulder, but that familiar voice of his was still raspy and boyish, and he still had a very young face, and he still hadn't quite gained an adult's control of his temper or ego.

She accepted him despite their difference in age of course, but the point was that most days, Tsubaki knew good and well that Black Star was too young for her in that way. She tried to remind herself of that as they hung around her house that weekend: as he cheerfully stuffed his mouth full of food, practiced his fight techniques every afternoon in the yard, chatted excitedly with Tsubaki's father as if the two of them had never missed a beat.

It was hard to stop those, dare she think it, romantic sentiments from flooding her brain though, when seeing Black Star nesting in her home just got to her in ways she couldn't even rationalize. It made her swell with pride to see him so comfortable in her space, and she hadn't expected any less, but Black Star had fit right in with her parents and her home the same way he'd fit right away somehow when he became her meister.

Being alone together, or at least away from their life at Shibusen, always shifted something subtly in their aura. Black Star became more relaxed for one thing; he didn't talk quite so loudly, he smiled more and talked more freely about his passions in a way that didn't need to brag, and she often wondered how they could still spend entire days together side by side and still be pleasant and amicable with each other.

Being with Black Star, just Black Star, was effortless and easy now, after all these years. He didn't have to be so strong when it was just the two of them, he didn't have anything to prove and though she knew that her Black Star loved to fight, she could also tell in the ease of his shoulders and the calm of his voice that times like this, where he could just relax with her, were such a big relief for him.

They spent one of the afternoons that weekend by the hot springs, eating shared lunch that she and her mother had prepared. It'd been two days, and Tsubaki was looking at him—shirtless, hair wet, towel draped over his broad shoulders—and almost blushing visibly despite herself at how little he was having to do to make her this happy. All they were doing was sitting there, and all he was doing was talking amicably about conquests to come, and one of those thoughts was starting to seep its way into her mind again: he's old enough for me, he's perfect for me, in that way.

It embarrassed her to have this feeling, it embarrassed her how right it felt to see her closest friend and meister this way, because what if she was mistranslating his love for her all wrong? What if they were too close to be any more than friends? Black Star glanced over at her at a natural pause in his words, and the world felt so balanced whenever he stared at her with those starry wide eyes, and she realized that she hadn't been listening to a word he'd been saying just now; his lively voice, whatever it'd been saying, had stabilized her. A question, a want of hers, formed in her mind, and she hated the way that her entire face warmed as it blurted itself out:

"You wouldn't mind coming home with me more often, would you? Only if you want."

Black Star didn't even blink, his pitch didn't even falter. "What are you talking about? Of course I'll be here." He grinned wider. "How am I s'posed to become a god someday if I don't have you in my heart the whole time?"

In contrast to how blunt and sure he was when he spoke them, the fifteen year old never realized how romantic some of his words to her could've sounded. This boy's proclamations of their future together were always said as if there were no question about them, nothing that would ever change them.

Duh, Tsubaki, she could almost hear him adding on each time.

In some ways he was too young for her—still fifteen, still boyish, still raw and boundless—but in other ways, he was just enough for her—accepting of her, patient with her, and surprisingly sure and sound-minded when it came to certain matters of the heart.

Tsubaki was only seventeen, but she saw the way her parents loved, saw herself and Black Star in them, and wondered if this level of comfort and warmth that she felt with him was not what being with your soul mate was supposed to feel like.

"If this dark sky is me, then the sparkling stars are Tsubaki."

That night, after he said it, Tsubaki felt it again. The unintended romance in his statement, the heat spreading across her face, the surenessthat age difference be damned, the things she felt with this brave and bold-hearted boy whenever their souls resonated was more than just something between weapon and meister.

"That's not like you," she told him playfully. He blushed, ducked his head, grinned. "I know. I just wanted to say thanks to you." Even in the dark, she could see the way the blush burned copper-bronze on his cheeks, and it made a similar heat flourish in her chest.

"The dream of your brother. I'm gonna achieve it."

His encounter with the Will of Nakatsukasa meant more to her than she could ever try to explain.

Perhaps no one could see it quite as well as she could, but he was growing up. Black Star wasn't just a boy of power and pride; he was unquestionably a boy of sacrifice, of such boundless love that he'd stop at nothing just to keep his world, and the people in it, just the way he liked it: safe and sound.

And Black Star kept his promises; they'd been consistent since they met. When he told her that he was going to walk the rest of his path in her brother's name, she didn't doubt his resolve, his willpower. Carrying on the legacy of Nakatsukasa was a tremendous honor, and the fact that he was accepted by the Will, the fact that he was going to fight for her and her family's respect with no hesitation, brought tears to her eyes.

"Right."

Tsubaki wondered if what she was feeling, that night as he held her hand tight on the walk back to her home, was just residual from their constant soul resonation in battle, or if she really was attracted to the young man that Black Star was becoming before her eyes. It was probably the latter, she figured; as he walked in front of her, leading her back to the house, she gazed at his strong back and shoulders and imagined that maybe the rest of her life would be like this, too.

They'd always slept in the same room at Shibusen, but here, in Tsubaki's own bedroom, it felt a little more intimate somehow.

She was in nothing but a big shirt, and he was shirtless and wearing thin pants, as she spread their mats out across the thatched floor. He went through the motions of his nightly push-up routine as she did so, eying her subtly the whole time and listening to her talk about the most important relatives in her family-he'd need to know now since he was technically part of it.

In the dark, with the stars and the moonlight streaming in from the windows, they lie next to each other, staring at the ceiling with hardly any intentions of sleeping. Tsubaki was still too touched by the encounter with the Will from earlier too drift off, still thinking about all the words he spoke, and he seemed wide awake too.

"Tsubaki," the boy said eventually.

When she looked over, his eyes were already on hers, his strong arms folded behind his head, the blanket draped across his waist.

Tsubaki affectionately watched the way his chest rose and fell with his breath before answering.

"What is it?"

Black Star just looked at her for a moment first, a flush creeping on his face even though his expression was steady.

"I don't know what's gonna happen from here on out," he said. "But no matter how big the battle, I swear t'you I'll never let you or family down. Even if I have to take the whole universe on or stand down death itself just to do it—" he smiled, reassuring, strong. "I'm gonna be your partner forever, okay?"

I love you.

Tsubaki's head felt light as she continued to stare at him. He'd never said it in so many words, and neither had she—"I love you"—but that's what it'd always meant, hadn't it? The promises, the mentions of their future, the strong will he'd always had to be a steadfast part of her life.

Age difference or not, the boy in front of her, her meister, her Black Star, was always telling her he couldn't think of what it'd be like to be without her now; and age different or not, she knew in her heart that she felt exactly the same.

Tsubaki smiled back.

"Okay."

I love you, too.

"Well."

Black Star turned onto his side facing her, burying his shoulder and head into the pillow to get more comfortable, still looking at her.

"Goodnight, Tsubaki."

Noncommittally, he shut his eyes and settled into his position. But Tsubaki knew he wasn't tired, and neither was she, not at all.

She turned onto her side as well, and studied him for a moment. She took in his soft, messy blue hair, his round, tanned face, her eyes running down the well-built slope of his shoulder and arm and drifting down to catch on the ridges of his abdomen, pausing at the place where the blanket hung just so below his navel.

Heat bloomed in her chest; he really was attractive, who was she trying to kid?

"Black Star?"

He looked up at her again, blinking, waiting on her.

She scooted in closer to him, resting her head on his pillow just a few inches from her face, their noses almost touching and so close to each other that they could see the stars in eachother's dark eyes.

Black Star swallowed, looked a little dazed and surprised. "Tsubaki…"

So she kissed him, a soft, steady press of her cold lips against his warm ones.

Black Star closed his eyes, and his brow pinched once, and his hand swept down to rest itself on the soft curve of her bare thigh.

There was a lot of love in the kiss, as it opened up between them, eager to express itself in ways that it hadn't yet before. The love blossomed in Tsubaki's chest and warmed her all over and excited her, it felt natural for his arm to drape around her body, for his strong hand to press at the small of her back as she took his lower lip between her own, and gently pulled.

Black Star wasn't very good at kissing, Tsubaki could tell, but he was still going at it with as much confidence as would be expected. In time he rolled over on top of her, kissed her open-mouth and it was then that she remembered just how naked she was beneath her loose-fitting shirt—things were moving fast and she wanted them to keep going. He pressed his hips down against hers and she could feel his erection through his pants against her bare crotch; he began to rut against her, trying to relieve some tension, and she held onto his shoulders and rocked with him in time, wrapping her legs around the back of his thighs.

They grinded like that for a while, Tsubaki closing her eyes and feeling heat churn in her stomach, knowing she was going to want this to end with her fucking him. He didn't know it, but she wasn't one to take things slow, she'd already gotten well acquainted with herself and her body long before this. Eventually she slowed their pace and dropped her hands to the waistband of his pants.

"H-have you ever done anything like this?" she asked him.

"Eh, not really." Black Star smiled as he kissed her once—no hesitation, no doubt—and for a moment she wondered if he'd ask if she had ever done anything like this either. Though, she supposed she didn't need to tell him for him to know.

"But it's no problem," he ran his hand down her face, "you don't have to worry about a thing." He tipped her chin up, kissed her again. "I've got you."

They kissed open-mouthed again, rougher and more impatient; Tsubaki was aggressively leading and Black Star was following her lead and learning as he want, letting Tsubaki move his head to give him a better angle, moving his tongue around hers in time with her smoother rhythm. Soon Tsubaki was pushing him off of her a touch and taking off her own shirt, leaving it beside them on the floor and laying back down as he hovered over her, silent.

Black Star nearly froze, visibly faltering at the sight of his partner naked, mouth falling slightly open as he stared at her tits and then closing when his eyes resolutely flickered back up to look into hers. He looked embarrassed for staring, and his face quickly blushed bronze-red like he suddenly felt that he didn't deserve to see her body—and this was so unlike the silly little punk who used to sneak on her while bathing, she thought—

"What?" she asked of him softly.

Black Star's voice broke a little on the question as his eyes swept down her body one more time:

"A-are you sure about this?"

I can't believe how beautiful you are.

Tsubaki leaned up and kissed him, pulling him down on top of her, and the sound escaped from the back of his throat was nothing short of desperate, and it made her thrive to hear it. She pulled down his pants and slowly ran the palm of her hand up his erection, loving the broken stutter her younger partner emitted at the sensation.

"J-just remember to pull out, okay?" she told him in his ear, hand circling around his dick and gently squeezing, running her thumb over his slit; his breath stuttered again as he nodded enthusiastically.

She'd fantasized about sex enough time to know exactly where to lead him. She guided him to her entrance, he held himself up on his strong arms and pushed his hips forward slowly, and the head of his cock slowly pressed inside her. She gasped out in sated relief at the tight fit, and lifted her hips to help him move smoothly.

She could feel him gradually sliding in, pushing her open, and her back rose off the floor when he filled up those last couple inches. Black Star looked down at her, breathing hard and watching as Tsubaki got adjusted to the feeling of him, smiling and looking into his eyes; she hadn't planned for this tonight, she thought, but she couldn't say she regretted this moment and she stared down at their bodies, at how close she'd just come to him. Her hips twitched and he could feel her walls clench around him as circled her hands around his waist, pushing him even further inside, closer to her. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, lips hovering an inch from hers as he pulled his hips out slowly, and pushed back into the suction and heat.

It sent a jolt of pleasure up her spine, a hot-and-cold shiver similar to what she felt when they resonated souls. He moved in and out once more and she kissed him so that her moan would come out against his mouth; he moaned back after her, his hips starting to shake as he continued to move and make out with her, and as she rocked she was suddenly hit with the weight of how proud she was of him, he wouldn't be who he was without her, he was hers—

"Tsubaki, fuck-"

He pulled out suddenly, bringing one hand to his erection and coaxing himself as his come spilled ad dripped onto the mat.

That had only been….a minute or two at best…

Tsubaki's legs were trembling as he stayed stooped over between them on his knees, trying to catch his breath back.

She was somewhat flattered that she'd made him so weak so quickly, and was happy he was happy but she wanted more, if he could…

"Um," she muttered, glancing down at his crotch. "Are you-?"

"Nuh-uh. Don't say a word." Black Star looked up at her, eyes full of thrill. "I'm not done with you yet."

In a fit of typical Black Star ego, he yanked her down on the mat and aggressively spread out her thighs out, pressing them against the floors with his palms. Flustered Tsubaki watched as Black Star tossed her calves over his shoulders and bent down to go to work, mouth fixed to her warm labia. He sucked, toying with her oversensitive anatomy and the shock wave that rushed over her made her gasp so loudly and crudely that she covered her mouth with her hand, afraid the household would hear.

"Yeah, you seem to like it when I do that, don't you?" He sucked again and slid two of his fingers inside her, pulsing them in and out unevenly and bluntly, but fast and rapid, and was he sure he'd never done anything like this before? Maybe that not really had meant more than she'd thought—

"Ah! Black Star—"

It was so much different than when she played with herself, so much faster and more firm and repetitive; god she'd forgotten how strong he was for his size, how in control he was of his every muscle movement as he flicked his tongue against her clit methodically and finger-fucked her fast; he'd gotten a lot of dexterity from slinging her around and handling her as his weapon that was for sure, he may not've known how to kiss her mouth but he was surprisingly expert with those hands, and how was he only fifteen?

She came with her back arched off the floor, thighs trembling in his strong grip and the grin on his face when he pulled back was absolutely godlike.

"There." He always did like to gloat when he won. Tsubaki panted, watching heavy lidded as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I told you, I'll never let you down."

She pulled him in by his shoulders to kiss him again, her body wrapping around his in thanks; he embraced her back, tight, and nosed her cheek affectionately. When she stopped, and he pulled back to stare down at her, she took a deep breath and then smiled, her heart fluttering quick against her ribcage at that look of safety and comfort all over his face. He'd done well for his first, and she was glad now that she'd decided not to doubt him.

He was young, but so was she and she trusted this boy so much. He was her partner, her meister, her closest friend, who she could see becoming her rock, her everything, in the future he promised her.


End file.
